Carrot, Pineapple And Pistachio Cake (vegan)

Carrot, pineapple and pistachio cake - this easy vegan carrot sheet cake is a delicious tropical twist on regular carrot cake.

Topped with a luscious cloud of white chocolate cream cheese whipped cream, this is a great springtime cake which would be perfect for Easter.

I love carrot cake all year round but Easter does feel like the most appropriate time for it and this cake would be perfect for feeding a crowd at a Spring gathering.

This vegan carrot traybake cake has the addition of chopped tinned pineapple to help keep it really moist and to add bursts of juicy pineapple flavour. I also used pistachios in place of the more common walnuts to make it a bit more special; feel free to use whatever kind of nuts you like, or use raisins instead if you prefer.

Instead of the usual cream cheese frosting, I opted for a white chocolate cream cheese whipped cream topping. It is beautifully light and creamy and not too sweet.

This is a veganised version of one of my old non-vegan recipe posts, I am slowly working my way though creating vegan versions of them all!

Ingredient Details:

Milk: You can use any kind you like but it should ideally be unsweetened and soy milk is best as it has the highest protein content.

Sugar: I prefer to use light brown soft but caster or granulated sugar is fine too.

Oil: Any neutral flavoured oil will work, I use olive or sunflower.

Plain flour: Plain (all-purpose) flour is best. I haven't tested this gluten-free but I think that it should work ok with a plain GF flour blend plus ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum.

Baking powder and soda: Using both baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) will give you the best rise and texture. Don't swap one for the other, you will not get the same result.

Vanilla extract: Extract is better than essence and you can also use vanilla bean paste.

Spices: Carrot cake needs spices! I use cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg but feel free to vary them to suit you. A spice blend such as mixed spice or pumpkin spice would work well.

Carrot: Use freshly grated carrots, not pre-grated from the supermarket, as they would be too dry. I prefer to use a regular size grater rather than a fine one but either should be fine. Make sure to weigh out the carrot after peeling and grating it to get the right amount.

Tinned pineapple: I use tinned pineapple chunks which I roughly chop. Make sure that you drain the pineapple really well as you don't want to add too much moisture and make the cake wet; I like to pat it dry with some kitchen paper. The pineapple can be safely omitted if you prefer.

Pistachios: I used roughly chopped pistachios instead of the usual walnuts but any kind of nut will work, or use raisins or sultanas instead.

Frosting:

Vegan whipping cream: I used the Coconut Collaborative one, but Elmlea or Oatly should also be fine. Thick, cold coconut cream (just the solid white part from a tin of chilled full fat coconut milk) should also work, but may result in a slightly different texture.

Vegan cream cheese: I use Philedelphia, but any coconut oil based cream cheese should work ok. It must be at room temperature so make sure to take it out of the fridge about 3 hours before making the frosting.

White chocolate: This is needed to make the frosting set, do not omit it. I order mine from here, but there are various other options online and vegan white chocolate can also be found in some supermarkets.

Icing sugar: Icing (powdered) sugar is needed to add a bit of sweetness and to help the cream stiffen up when whipped. Do not swap this for any other kind of sugar or sweetener.

Lemon juice: A bit of lemon juice adds a hint of extra tang that I find vegan cream cheese tends to be lacking in.

How To Make Carrot, Pineapple And Pistachio Cake:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Whisk together the milk, oil, sugar, vanilla extract and orange zest in a large bowl.

Step 2: Sift together the dry ingredients, add them to the wet and stir until combined.

Step 3: Gently fold in the grated carrot followed by the pineapple and pistachios.

Step 4: Pour into a traybake tin and spread level.

Step 5: Bake for about 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Step 6: To make the frosting, melt the white chocolate and stir it into the room temperature cream cheese. Add the lemon juice and vanilla.

Step 7: Place the whipping cream in a separate bowl with the sifted icing sugar. Whisk with an electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks.

Step 8: Whisk the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream a little at a time. Refrigerate if needed to firm up a bit.

Top Tips:

USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

Use a standard sized grater for the carrots rather than a fine one for the best texture.

The pineapple can be safely omitted if you aren't keen on pineapple in carrot cake.

Make sure that you allow the cake to cool completely before adding the frosting and slicing into it.

The cake can be baked the day before you make the frosting and assemble the cake. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

For the frosting it is very important that the cream cheese is at room temperature. If it is too cold then the chocolate will sieze and form lumps when you mix it in.

FAQ's:

More Vegan Easter Cakes:

• Vegan Simnel cake
• Chocolate orange Battenberg
• Vegan orange loaf cake
• Vegan carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
• Vegan chocolate cheesecake
• Vegan lemon poppy seed cake
• Lemon drizzle cake
• Vegan cherry almond cake

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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